The RAF bring leadership and team spirit to the water racing their J/109, Red Arrow and flying the flag for the Royal Air Force Sailing Association. Skipper, Flight Lieutenant Ryan Harris is a Royal Air Force helicopter pilot and Search & Rescue instructor based at RAF Valley, Anglesey, North Wales. Red Arrow is crewed by serving and ex-serving members of the RAF, from a mixture of ranks, trades and different air bases.

"Sailing is positively encouraged in the RAF. It is seen as a vehicle to take Service Personnel out of their normal environment and stretch them. Teamwork, communication, leadership and physical fitness are all elements that can be brought out in sailing. The RAF team wants to test itself against top sailors and this year we have gained experience to complete the mileage required to enter the Fastnet Race. Project management as well as sailing ability have all been improved from taking part in this campaign", says Flight Lieutenant Ryan Harris.

Lt Col Nick Bate, will be skippering the Army Sailing Association's 'British Soldier', an Archambault 40. This year British Soldier is competing in five of the races forming the Atlantic Ocean Racing Series - the highest quality fully-crewed ocean races this season. The Rolex Fastnet is one of those races. By the end of the season, British Soldier will have sailed over 13,000 miles with over 77 soldiers having taken part in the racing or delivery passages. This is true corinthian sailing, the result of effort put in by a great team, not for reward, but purely for the fun of it.

Most of the crew are serving soldiers on return from operational tours, except for two individuals: one is a sponsor of Team Army, the other is the Secretary of Army Sailing (and Hockey), a retired Parachute Regiment officer who has raced in a Fastnet and after all his years of fantastic service, Skipper, Nick Bate thinks it's about time he did!

Nick explains why the British Army involve itself with sailing: "Ocean racing is firmly part of our ethos - the requirement for an adventurous spirit combined with the need for individuals to work as a team, in difficult and potentially dangerous conditions, when cold, wet and tired, far from the easy option of outside assistance."